Once bay-front towns with wide sandy beaches, Thompson’s Beach and Moores beach succumbed to the impacts of storms and sea-level rise. Rubble placed on the beaches in previous decades remained behind resulting in degraded horseshoe crab spawning habitat. The marshes of the area have fared poorly as well as dyke failures on salt hay farms resulted in catastrophic marsh losses. Beach and marsh restoration can revitalize the ecological integrity of the area and create a strong storm buffer for the adjacent Maurice River Township Community.
PROJECT 5A: RESTORING SANDY BEACH ON THOMPSON’S BEACH
In 2013 the NJ DEP cleaned the rubble from Thompson’s beach and completed a road to the site. Removing the substantial amounts of rubble took away a serious impingement hazard for crabs but not adding sand left the habitat unrestored for crab breeding. We propose to truck sand to Thompsons using the road constructed to remove the rubble. This will result in the restoration of 0.8 miles a formerly vital beach for horseshoe crab spawning.
